Popular Stores Used in Daily Life

Most people do their daily food shopping at either a supermarket or a convenience store. This style of shopping originally spread from the U.S.A. and is basically similar to that in many other countries. However, on the topic of Japanese convenience stores, these shops are not only open 24 hours, 7 days a week - they also have various other functions.

Of course, the main function of a convenience store is to sell food. In fact, sales of take-out lunches are remarkable in Japan. These lunches come in wide variety including the ever-popular onigiri (rice balls). Around noon, the lunch corners in convenience stores become filled with masses of people. Some stores are selling hot ready-made oden. Needless to say, these stores have a large variety of beverages too. In Japan, green teas and pure water are popular and recently these and other healthy beverages have been selling well.

There is also a corner for magazines and newspapers. However, besides daily commodities, convenience store service corners are being widely used these days. Service corners have various functions including banking, photocopying, a mailing service and photo-developing. Just like cellular phones enable us to obtain information, convenience stores are working as a terminal function for our daily lives.

Automatic vending machines, depachika and 100 yen shops develop in Japan
When most foreigners come to Japan they are very surprised to see how many automatic vending machines there are. Most of these machines sell beverages, but other products can also be purchased from vending machines depending on their locations. These include food like hamburgers and noodles, cigarettes, socks, underwear and comic books.

In recent years, "Depachika" food floors have become a hot topic. Depachika is an abbreviation for the basement floor of a department store. Since they sell high-quality food at reasonable prices, they are supported by many customers. The department store was once the "king" of retail stores, but these days discount stores selling furniture and electric appliances have increased in the market and department stores are finding their way in the fields of clothes and food.

You should know in particular about "100 Yen Shops," which are now very popular. All products are sold for 100 yen including everything from watches to slippers. These cheap prices amaze many buyers. There are many other different discount shops in Japan, one of which is drug stores. Once it used to be said that prices were high in Japan, but they are incredibly reasonable at present.

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